Scouring pad

ABSTRACT

The Present Invention is a class of pads used for both cleaning and scouring. The pad has one or more usable faces and may have one or more unusable faces. Alternatively, all faces of the pad may be usable. The pad is sized conveniently to fit into the palm of a person&#39;s hand. The usable faces are also sized to enable manual washing of dishes, scouring of pots and pans, and cleaning of surfaces. Each usable face comprises a plurality of diverse materials. At least one of these materials is sponge-like, and at least one of these materials is suitable for use in scrubbing or scouring. However, all of these materials are on the same usable face. The user does not have to turn the pad over to access one material in place of another. All washing, cleaning, scrubbing, and scouring may be accomplished from contact with a single face of the pad.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Sponges have been used for washing dishes and cleaning surfaces for manydecades. These dead rudimentary sea animals are able to retain largeamounts of water. If the water is mixed with soap or detergent, a spongefilled with this mixture can be used effectively to remove food fromdishes or dirt from household surfaces. Sometime around the 1950s,synthetic sponge pads made from silicone or polyurethane foam becameavailable. Some were fabricated from natural cellulose. Usually, thesesponges were rectangular or oval shaped, and sized to fit in the palm ofone's hand. But, the shape is less important than the size. These padsare as efficient for cleaning as their natural sponge counterparts, andtheir shapes are more convenient for cleaning purposes.

However, not all foodstuff or other grime is removable with such a pad.It is difficult to use sponge pads to remove baked-on food from pots andpans. Teflon® (a brand of tetrafluoroethylene manufactured by Dupont)non-stick coatings make it easier to remove baked-on foods with a spongepad. These coatings do not always work perfectly, and they wear withage. Prior to the use of Teflon®, steel wool was used to scour pots andpans as well as dishes with caked-on foodstuff. Steel wool is a bundleof strands of very fine soft carbon steel filaments. Steel wool workswell for this purpose. It is highly abrasive, and it removes baked-onfoods easily. But, steel wool rusts easily, and people would often getsteel wool splinters that would enter the bloodstream and cause nastyinfections. Steel can also discolor some materials. Bronze wool is abundle of very fine bronze filaments, used in finishing and repair workto polish wood or metal objects. Bronze wool is similar to steel wool,but is used in its place to avoid some problems associated with brokenfilaments. Bronze wool is easier to use than steel wool, but like steelwool, it is sometimes too abrasive. Mineral wool, also known as mineralfibers or man-made mineral fibers are fibers made from natural orsynthetic minerals or metal oxides. Synthetic scouring pads are oftenused today for scouring pots and pans and for removing tough foodstufffrom dirty dishes.

Composite cleaning/scouring pads came into use where a scouring pad isaffixed to a synthetic sponge with adhesive. This type of pad has sixfaces, two of which are useable. One useable face consists of a scouringpad, and the other consists of a synthetic sponge. So, the sponge faceis used to gently clean dishes and other surfaces, while the scouringface is used to remove caked-on particles. When a person washes dishes,he or she uses the sponge face where gentle rubbing is desired, and thenturns over the pad to the scouring face when more abrasive action isdesired. This action of turning the pad from face to face isundesirable, cumbersome, annoying, and time consuming. The two useablefaces have the largest scrubbing areas and are the same for both faces.The other four faces are unusable because they are two small to washdishes and because the faces comprise both materials. They are notefficient for gentle cleaning or scouring. FIG. 1 (a through e) shows aportion of just such a composite cleaning/scouring pad. FIG. 1( a) is aperspective view of the prior art device. Note the scouring material 2affixed to synthetic sponge material 1. FIG. 1( b) is a top plan viewshowing the scouring face comprising the scouring material 2. FIG. 1( c)is a front elevational view showing an unusable face. FIG. 1( d) is aside elevational view showing another unusable face. These faces areunusable because they are too small, and they comprise two diversematerials in an unusable configuration. FIG. 1( e) is a bottom plan viewshowing the sponge face comprising the sponge material 1. A typicalcomposite pad is disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D406,681 issued toKelly, et. al. on Mar. 9, 1999. Except for its rhomboidal shape, it isthe same as described in FIG. 1. Yet another example is U.S. Design Pat.No. D533,316 issued to Poizeau on Oct. 16, 2007. A particularly novelpad of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,431 issued toCarroll on Mar. 11, 1997, and particularly shown in FIG. 10, therein.Here, the inventor affixed AstroTurf® (short pile nylon strands affixedto an elastic backing) onto a polyurethane foam sponge. AstroTurf® is aregistered trademark of Monsanto. The short nylon fibers forming thescouring face in this pad are particularly useful for removing caked-onparticles and yet non-abrasive.

Examples of some of the products currently available are:

Brand Manufacturer Description Dimensions Scotch-Brite ™ 3M DobieCleaning Pad 4.3″ × 2.6″ × 0.5″ Ultra Nail-Saver Scrub SpongeScotch-Brite ™ 3M Clean Rinse 2.1″ × 3.7″ × 1.3″ Scotch-Brite ™ 3M EasyErasing Pad 5.1″ × 2.8″ × 1.2″ Ultra-Nail Saver Scrub SpongeScotch-Brite ™ 3M Multi-Purpose 2.1″ × 3.7″ × 1.3″ Scotch-Brite ™ 3MClean Rinse Scrubber 4.7″ × 2.9″ × 0.6″ o-cel-o ™ 3M Heavy Duty ScrubSponge 3.7″ × 2.6″ × 0.8″ S.O.S. ® The Clorox Co. Extra Thick ScrubberSponge 4.5″ × 2.5″ × 0.9″ Quickie ® Quickie Mfg. Corp. Cellulose Sponge4.5″ × 2.7″ × 0.7″ Erase Away ™ Rite-Aid Cleaning Pad 4.6″ × 2.4″ × 1.0″Target Target Scrubber 4.5″ × 2.8″ × 0.7″ 3M 3M Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge4.5″ × 2.8″ × 0.6″ TURN-A-BOUT ™ TesArden LLC Cleaning Pad 4.6″ × 3.1″ ×1.0″

The TURN-A-BOUT™ Cleaning Pad is a polyurethane sponge wrapped in nylonmesh with a Turkish Towel fabric type backing. Apparently, the spongeside is more efficient for scouring while the towel side is moreefficient for washing. The above example products are fabricated fromdiffering materials. The Scotch-Brite™ Ultra Nail Saver “Clean Rinse”and “Multi-Purpose” products comprise an abrasive scrubber (differentfor each product) and a sponge both affixed to and separated by aone-inch thick conveniently shaped polystyrene layer. The Scotch-Brite™Clean Rinse Scrubber comprises two fabric pads sewn together to form asingle pad. One face (the sponge side) entirely consists of a fabricmaterial while the other face (the scouring side) entirely consists of afabric having tiny plastic protrusions arranged in a matrix andapproximately 1 mm apart. A typical pad of this type is described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,240,760 issued to Levine on Dec. 23, 1980. U.S. Pat. No.6,485,822 issued to Osiecki, et. al. on Nov. 26, 2002 discloses acomposite scrubber/sponge arranged linearly in such a manner as tobecome a conventional scouring/sponge pad when folded over on itself.One side will be a scrubber, and the other side will be a sponge. U.S.Pat. No. 7,020,927 issued to Cavillo on Apr. 4, 2006 discloses a similardevice.

Note the dimensions of the pads described above. Their lengths rangefrom 2.1 to 4.6 inches; their widths range from 2.4 to 3.7 inches; andtheir depths (the unusable faces) range from 0.5 to 1.3 inches. Thesefaces are unusable because the sponge and scouring materials are on thesame face and the faces are too small to either clean or scour. Thesponge and the scouring materials interfere with each other. The twousable faces are sized to conveniently fit in a person's palm or to beheld conveniently while washing dishes.

It is well known in the art to adapt these pads to hold soap within. Inthe early days, steel wool could be purchased with embedded soap. Modernpads either come with soap inside or have pockets into which soap can beinserted. It is also well known in the art to place handles on the pads.Also, strap materials have been used into which a person's hand may beinserted. The strap contacts the back of the hand while the usable partof the pad makes contact with the palm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As previously mentioned, it is inefficient, inconvenient and annoying tohave to turn a pad over from the cleaning side to the scouring side andthen back to the cleaning side while washing a single dish or pot. ThePresent Invention combines a plurality of materials on the same usableface so that the pad need not be turned over. At a minimum, twomaterials are used—a sponge and a scouring material on the same face.However, a convenient embodiment uses multiple scouring materials towork on easier-to-remove and harder-to-remove particles. Using a highlyabrasive scouring material on easier-to-remove particles can leavescratch marks on the surface to be cleaned. However, using a lessabrasive scouring material on harder-to-remove particles will result onthe surface not being cleaned. The Present Invention solves theseproblems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a composite scouring/cleaning sponge pad similar tothose currently on the market.

FIG. 1( a) represents a perspective view.

FIG. 1( b) is a top plan view.

FIG. 1( c) is a front elevation.

FIG. 1( d) is a side elevation.

FIG. 1( e) is a bottom plan view.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad ofthe Present Invention.

FIG. 2( a) is a top plan view.

FIG. 2( b) is a front elevation.

FIG. 2( c) is a bottom plan view.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad ofthe Present Invention.

FIG. 3( a) is a top plan view.

FIG. 3( b) is a front elevation.

FIG. 3( c) is a bottom plan view.

FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad ofthe Present Invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad ofthe Present Invention that incorporates an elastic band within which aperson's hand may be inserted.

FIG. 5( a) is a top plan view.

FIG. 5( b) is a front elevation.

FIG. 6 is a set of cross-sectional views of a fifth embodiment of thescouring/cleaning pad of the Present Invention that incorporates soap orliquid detergent within.

FIG. 6( a) is a top plan cross-sectional view.

FIG. 6( b) is a front elevational cross-sectional view.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a sixth embodiment of thescouring/cleaning pad wherein all of the faces are usable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENTS

The Present Invention is a pad that comprises two or more materials. Atleast one of the materials is sponge-like. For the purposes of thisPresent Application, the Applicant intends to be his own lexicographer.The definition of sponge-like as used herein means any material(including a natural sponge) that absorbs liquids, and releases thoseliquids upon the application of pressure. Sponge-like materials compriseall of the household “sponges” made from synthetic or other naturalmaterials. The remaining material(s) comprises material(s) suitable forscouring/scrubbing. The pad absorbs water either with or without soap ordetergent. The pad is designed for cleaning dishes, pots, pans, andkitchen utensils, but it may have other uses such as cleaning othersurfaces. The pad has convenient dimensions so as to facilitate beingheld in a person's palm as it is used. It is therefore a composite padsimilar to those of the prior art. As with the prior art, one version ofthe composite pad of the Present Invention comprises two usable faces.However, the difference between the Present Invention and the prior artis that the plurality of materials all appear on at least one of theusable faces. A usable face is defined as a surface of the pad largeenough to be used manually for the task of cleaning and scouring.Generally, their lengths range from 2 to 8 inches; and their widthsrange from 2 to 5 inches, but larger or smaller sizes may be employedfor specific user needs. The usable faces are large enough toaccommodate the plurality of materials so that the user can discriminateand select which material to use for cleaning or scouring.

The First Embodiment of the Present Invention is an example of just sucha pad. FIG. 2 shows how this pad would look and operate. This embodimentcomprises two different materials. One-half of the pad is a scrubbingmaterial 3 and the other half is a sponge-like material 4. The compositepad is fabricated from a pad of scrubbing material and a sponge-likepad. Both pads have the same width dimension. The two pads are joinedtogether at one of the unusable faces with an adhesive. Of course, thisis an example of how the composite pad may be fabricated. If one looksat the pad from the top (FIG. 2( a)) and from the bottom (FIG. 2( c)),both faces are identical. FIG. 2( b) illustrates how the pad wouldappear when looking at one of the unusable faces. The other rearunusable face is identical. However, the unusable face to the right ofthe drawing would reveal only a sponge-like material, while the unusableface to the left of the drawing would reveal only scrubbing material.

The Second Embodiment is similar to the first, with a slight difference.In the First Embodiment, both the top and bottom usable faces areidentical. In the Second Embodiment, they are mirror images of eachother. FIG. 3 shows the Second Embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3( a),looking at the top face of the pad, scrubbing material 3 is on the left,while sponge-like material 4 is on the right. However, referring to FIG.3( c), looking at the bottom face of the pad, scrubbing material 3 is onthe right, while sponge-like material 4 is on the left. The pad of theSecond Embodiment is fabricated from two prior art composite sponge-likepads. They have the same width dimension. These prior art pads have atop face made from scrubbing material and a bottom face made ofsynthetic sponge-like material. To create the pad of the SecondEmbodiment of the Present Invention, merely turn one of the prior artcomposite pads upside down (so that the bottom face is now on top), andjoin the two pads at an unusable face with adhesive. This constructioncan be deduced from FIG. 3( b).

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the First and Second Embodiments of the PresentInvention comprising two different materials (a sponge-like material anda single scrubbing material) configured in a rectangular shape. Clearly,the shape of the pad need not be restricted to this configuration. Theonly limitation is the size of the usable face(s). It must be largeenough to be conveniently held in the hand while washing dishes. If theface is too small or too large, it is not usable. The pad may be cut toa circular, elliptical, oval, polygonal or any other desired shape. Itmay have the shape of an animal or an automobile. Furthermore, althoughthe drawings show two usable faces, only one usable face is actuallyrequired. This might be the case where the pad is shaped as anautomobile. In that case, the only usable face would be the bottom ofthe vehicle. Therefore, as will be seen in FIG. 5, since only one usableface is required, a band or plastic handle may be incorporated into thestructure of one of the two usable faces. The device may also have theshape of a glove into which the hand of a person is inserted.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a Third Embodiment of the pad of thePresent Invention. Here, not only can the shape of the pad itself vary,but so also can the shapes of the plurality of materials. In thedrawing, pad 10 has an elliptical shape, and it comprises four differentmaterials on a usable face. The largest surface is the sponge-likematerial 4. Cleaning is accomplished by a person applying pressure atthe center of the palm. However, the pad also comprises three differenttypes of scrubbing materials that are conveniently placed. The exampleshown in FIG. 4 is a left-handed pad. The viewer is looking at thebottom usable face. Scrubbing material 3 is positioned so that pressuremay be applied by the tips of four fingers of a person's hand. Scrubbingmaterial 5 is controlled by the palm at the outside end of the hand.Scrubbing material 6 is controlled by applying pressure at the trapeziumthat is connected to the thumb. Clearly, not only can the shape of thepad of this embodiment vary, but also the shapes of the materials usedcan vary as can their placement on the usable face.

FIG. 5 illustrates a Fourth Embodiment of the pad of the PresentInvention. Here the pad 10 takes the shape of an ellipsoid. An elasticband 7 is affixed to the top usable face, thereby rendering it unusable.However, a persons hand may be inserted between the elastic band and thetop face. Now, the person must no longer grasp the pad tightly toprevent it from getting away. The usable face is only the bottom face.FIG. 5( a) shows a top plan view of pad 10, while FIG. 5( b) shows afront elevational view of the pad. In this case, a seam is shown in FIG.5( b).

FIG. 6 shows cross-sectional views of a Fifth Embodiment of the pad ofthe Present Invention. Here, once again, the pad 10 is in the shape ofan ellipsoid, but it is not limited to this shape. The primary featureof this embodiment is the internal bar of soap or liquid detergentdispenser 8 that is embedded within the pad. The utility of thisconfiguration is apparent to anyone skilled in the art. FIG. 6( a) is atop plan center-cut cross-section, and FIG. 6( b) is a front elevationalcenter-cut cross-section. This embodiment may take one of twoconfigurations. Either the pad when sold can have the soap alreadyembedded, or the pad may contain a pocket into which a user may insertthe soap. Of course, if a liquid detergent dispenser is used instead ofa bar of soap, the dispenser may or may not be refillable as desired.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a Sixth Embodiment of the pad of thePresent Invention. Here, all faces are usable. There are no unusablefaces. As shown in the figure, the pad has a cubic shape. This is but anexample, as the pad may have a miriad of shapes. Each face of thecomposite pad of the Sixth Embodiment comprises a plurality ofmaterials. However, the pad must have at least one sponge-like material.In the figure, pad 11 comprises six faces of which three are visible.Element 12 is a sponge-like material. Elements 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and18 are different scrubbing, scouring, or cleaning materials.

All of the aforementioned embodiments of the pads of the PresentInvention share the following common characteristics.

At least one usable face comprises a plurality of materials where atleast one of those materials is sponge-like that may be used for gentlecleaning, and where at least one of those materials is harder and moreabrasive so as to be used for scrubbing or scouring.

The pad is conveniently sized to fit in the palm of a person's hand.

Only one usable face is required. That face has convenient dimensions.

The user does not have to turn the pad over to a second usable facewhile washing dishes or cleaning surfaces.

1. A manufactured article for use in washing, cleaning, scrubbing, andscouring surfaces, said manufactured article comprising faces furthercomprising at least one usable face, wherein: a) each of said at leastone usable face has a surface area with dimensions, and each of said atleast one usable face comprises a plurality of materials in aconfiguration, and each of the plurality of materials further comprisesa surface area with dimensions; b) on at least one usable face, at leastone of said plurality of materials is a sponge-like material that issoft and absorbs liquids and is adapted for use as a household sponge;c) at least one of said plurality of materials is harder or moreabrasive than the sponge-like material and is adapted for use inscrubbing or scouring; d) the dimensions of the surface area of everymaterial of the plurality of materials is of sufficient size to enableit to be effectively used for washing, cleaning, scrubbing or scouringsurfaces; e) the dimensions of the surface area of said at least oneusable face are of the order of the size of an adult human hand; and, f)the shape and size of the manufactured article permits it fit into theuser's palm.
 2. The manufactured article of claim 1 wherein onedimension of said at least one usable face is a width that rangesbetween 2 inches and 5 inches, and another dimension is a length thatranges between 2 inches and 8 inches.
 3. The manufactured article ofclaim 1 comprising only one usable face.
 4. The manufactured article ofclaim 1 comprising more than one usable face.
 5. The manufacturedarticle of claim 4 wherein the configuration of the plurality ofmaterials on every usable face is the same.
 6. The manufactured articleof claim 4 wherein the configuration of the plurality of materials on ausable face is different from the configuration of the plurality ofmaterials on another usable face.
 7. The manufactured article of claim 1wherein the shape of said at least one usable face is rectangular,circular, elliptical, or oval.
 8. The manufactured article of claim 1being in the shape of a familiar object.
 9. The manufactured article ofclaim 1 wherein the each of the materials comprising the at least oneusable face is taken from the group consisting of natural sponge,cellulose, silicone, polyurethane foam, nylon strands, nylon fibers,artificial turf, steel wool, and bronze wool.
 10. The manufacturedarticle of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of materials thatcomprise the at least one usable face has a desired shape and size thatmay be different from any other of the plurality of materials thatcomprise the at least one usable face.
 11. The manufactured article ofclaim 1 comprising two halves that are joined together and affixed toeach other.
 12. The manufactured article of claim 1 having an elasticband affixed to the face opposite a usable face, configured in such away as to accommodate insertion of the user's hand wherein the back ofthe user's hand is in contact with the elastic band, and the palm of theuser's hand is in contact with the face of the manufactured article thatis opposite the usable face.
 13. The manufactured article of claim 1having a handle affixed to the face opposite a usable face.
 14. Themanufactured article of claim 1 having solid soap or liquid detergentembedded therein.
 15. The manufactured article of claim 1 wherein solidsoap or liquid detergent can be inserted by the user as desired.
 16. Themanufactured article of claim 1 wherein all faces are usable.
 17. Themanufactured article of claim 1 further comprising at least one unusableface.